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Lett-rs.1 aam1v0. 80,578, dated August' 4, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN nor-naines.

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To ALL WHoM iTMAvv ooNonnN: v 4

Be it known that I, W. F. WATERHOUSE, of the'town ot' Weyauwega, county of Waup'acca, and'state of Wisconsin, have "invented a-new and useful Improvement for Guring'Hops; and Ido hereby declare that the v following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in. the art to'make and use the same, reference being had` to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is afperspectiveview of the receiving andl packing-house and dry-kiln.

Figure 2, plan view ofsame with the roofs removed. l

Figure 3, transversesectional view of thedry-kiln'. t

Similar letters of reference iu each of the figures indicate correspondingparts.`

The nature ot' my invention'consists in a kiln constructed in s ueh a manner as to force alfcurrent of heated air through the mass of hops, placed on a movable platform with a reflecting rooffover the-hops, open at its ends, to allow the vapor expelled freeescapevinto the open airand, in connection with this kiln, a receiving and packing-house, sufticiently contiguous for an' elevated 4railway from one to theother, over which a car moves, to convey the hops to and from the kiln, and yet distant enough to be safe from fire. Y

I construct my kiln of stone or brick, about fourteen feet square, thick at the bottom, and hopper-shaped on the inside, with'grates at the bottom, on which to' build a re, with a furnace-door, and suitable'openiugs for the .admission of air, with proper means .of governing the same'. -The walls ofthe 'kiln I carry up about twelve Vfeet high, straight on the outside, and with a true slope o'n the inside from bottom to top,`the walls at thetopv about sixteen inches thick. The roof of the kiln is made otlvthiu lumber, and sheathed on the inside withtin, it's edges, at the eaves, secured by hinges, so that, by means of ropes, thetwo parts of the roof may be separated at the ridge, and elevatedit'o an upright position, or may be dropped down flat on the kiln, one part of the roof overlapping the other, and in this way form a tight'cover over 4the kiln, to keep in the heat, when desired.

My receiving and packing-house I make about twentyV feet wide by thirty feet lorig.

A, the walls of the hop-receiving and packing house. Y Y,

B, platform, level with 'the second door, on which the hops are landed, when raised from the load to.be taken into the house. i l v o, wang of the'kiln.V

D, roof of 4the kiln. v E E,posts on each sideofl the kiln, with pulleyson their` tops. F, ropes with which to raise andlower the rool.

II, cai', withgauze or perforated-metal top. This" car is made square, of wood atthesides, the size ofthe kiln, about twenty inches high, one side made so 'astoA be loweredfto facilitate removing'the hops. This car is mounted on small wheels.

' I, furnace-gratos. Y

K K, rails from receiving-house to kiln, on which ,the ear.H is moved.

L, main second door of receiving-house.

M, the iioor at one end of the receiving-house, lower than floor L, on to whiohthe hops are thrown when returned from the kiln cured.

N N, openings in Hoor M, through which the cured hops are thrown to the packing-room below.

O, ,hoisting'beam at the peak .of the gable-end of the receiving`house, over platform B,- to attach a tackle to for hoisting theY hops from the load.

P, hopper-shaped opening in the kiln.

Q, wheel to car H. i

Operation. p Build a fire in thelkilu, on grates I, and keep-Ait in operation tilljthe walls of the kiln are well heated, then rake out the ashes and voorhand put upon the gratos a small quantity of charcoal andset re to it. Open the draught suilcentto produce such heat as required. The hops to be cured We -will suppose on a load at the end of the receiving-house, under platform B. They are then raised in a basket or sack to the platform, and taken into the house, and transferred to the car, which will be standing on the railway K, in the house. When the caris filled, it is run over on to the kiln, on the railway K, the roof of the kiln being raised, to let it come to position. This car, when over the kiln, fits tight, so that the heated air must pass through the interstices in the ca`r-cover and through the hops. The root` D is lowered to that position which will best reflect the escaping heat back on the mass of hops, or reilect the solar heat on the hops. let in air to be heated and pass through the hops. In thisway the hops are cured by heated air and in the open and their flavor and purity all retained. When the hops are dry enough, the car is moved over the railway and when the carvis unloaded, it is loaded the car is removed from the kiln, the

air, K to the packing-house, and thehops are throivn on to the floor M, up again with uncured hops, and returned again to the kiln. As soon as i roof D is lowered down dat onthe kiln, to keepin the heat.

Hops cured in this way are far superior to those cured in any other Way known.

What I claimas my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l 1. A furnace, with hopper-shaped interior, in combination with movable 'roof D, substantially as described.

2. The root D, hung by hinges at the eaves, so as to perform Athe threefold purpose of roof, for protection against the Weather, as shown in iig. 1, reflectors, to reiiect artificial and solar heat, and to cover the kiln', to

retain the heat when the hops are of?, substantially as described.

W. F. WATERHOUSE.

Witnesses:

JAS. E. parmis, WM. W. BARNES.

The draught is opened to the furnace, to 

